Cultivo Global Ag Innovation Program FAQs
What makes the Cultivo Virtual Academy™ unique?
Cultivo is the only program geared specifically to help global scaleup companies bring their innovations and ideas to the U.S. marketplace.
By providing insights and connections to the U.S. research, agriculture, and innovation ecosystem, we can bring the innovations and technologies to market more quickly, helping the world’s farmers and livestock producers meet the challenges of a growing world population and changing climate.
Cultivo is different from accelerators and incubators in that fundraising isn’t a part of the program nor is there any exchange of startup equity. This is a tuition-based program.
How is the program structured?
During the six-week program, cohort members meet online for 2.5 hours each week with agricultural leaders, startup community, researchers and farmers. Each weekly session features presentations, roundtable discussions and Q&A opportunities focused on a topic relevant to the U.S. agricultural marketplace, including regulatory systems, customer perspectives, financing, employment, and more.
Cohort members are also connected with Iowa business and research leaders in their company’s area of focus to have one-on-one conversations.
How do I make connections?
In addition to the Iowa business, university and government leaders that cohort members interact with during virtual sessions, each cohort member will be connected with a minimum of three individual researchers, company or organization leaders and others who have specific expertise or interest in the company’s business or research focus. These individual phone or video conversations allow cohort members to dive deeper into topics that are relevant to their business and market entry activities.
What are past participants saying about the program?
“Directly getting the words of wisdom from folks who have built their company was a great takeaway. As a startup, if you need to enter the U.S., you need some of the golden tips that we have gotten from this program. You don’t work unless you network.”
— Gopal Kumarapuram, GramworkX
“I believe that Cultivo really offered us a very comprehensive tool set to address all of these to-dos that are ahead of us in our growth and scale-up phase. It was a phenomenal program and I feel very well equipped. The list of names we got of people to work with is very outstanding.”
— Lutz Glandorf, Biolevel
How is the Cultivo Virtual Academy different than accelerator programs?
Cultivo Virtual Academy is a tuition-based program that provides targeted curriculum and resources for scaleup companies ready to enter the U.S. marketplace. For 2023. the tuition fee is $2,000 USD.
At what stage should my company apply for the program?
Cultivo Virtual Academy is designed for companies preparing for U.S. marketplace entry in the next 1-3 years.
How do I apply?
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applications can be submitted at America’s Cultivation Corridor website. You can apply here.
Why Iowa?
Iowa’s leadership in agriculture, food and bioscience is unique and unmatched, making it the perfect host for a program to encourage solutions to global challenges. The combination of geographic location, abundant crop and livestock production and exports, along with leading companies, researchers and forward thinking farmers, researchers and companies make Iowa second to none for global agriculture.
The dominance of Iowa State University as a leading research university and the state’s growing ecosystem to support and develop ag and bioscience startup companies provide unmatched resources to companies looking to bring their innovations and technologies to the U.S. marketplace.
What is America’s Cultivation Corridor?
America’s Cultivation Corridor is the premier region for agricultural bioscience research, development and entrepreneurship thanks to world class innovation and global leadership of Iowa’s individuals, organizations and companies.
Investors and partners in the Corridor are working together to accelerate the development of new technologies, strengthen Iowa’s ag bioscience workforce, attract economic development, and connect the state’s leadership and resources with the world.
Stakeholder organizations of America’s Cultivation Corridor include Iowa State University, Corteva Agriscience, Deere & Company, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa Pork Producers, Kent Corporation, MidAmerican Energy, Ames Economic Development Corporation, Hy-Vee, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, ISG, Kemin, REG, Scoular, and Sukup Manufacturing Co.